Description

The
'Grow Watch' is a new timepiece designed by Andrea Morgante of
London-based Shiro Studio for Alessi. The watch concept is derived
from the 'act of growing' which often results in forms and patterns
which we can all instinctively relate to. the surface of the design
features a rippled texture, much like the muscle fibers which lay below
our skin. Perceived as a single entity rather than an assembly of
multiple mechanical parts, 'grow' is an external manifestation of our
bodies' qualities.

(above black version)

OTHER COLORS AVAILABLE

Designer Andrea Morgante interview with DesignApplause.com;

[DesignApplause] We are in the Alessi Milan flagship showroom at
an open house showcasing new products. One new product is a beautiful
wristwatch called the “Grow Watch” and with us is the designer of the
watch Andrea Morgante.

[DA] Andrea, are you an architect or product designer?
[ANDREA MORGANTE] It’s architecture mainly, but I’m Italian and
went to school in Italy before moving to London and design is a part of
our DNA. Back in the “Golden Era” 50s and 60s, the major designers like
Castiglioni, Colombo, Magistretti, were architects. There was no formal
design school but they designed many products. So I was exposed to a
culture where there is no clear boundary for what is architecture and
what is product design. And even though European schools today now offer
options of both architecture and design, for me the disciplines are one
in the same.

[DA] In the U.S. formal education separates the disciplines.
Designers and architects sometimes complain and wish both were melded
together like early European educations.
[AM] They’re similar but for me here is the difference. I like
product design because it is more immediate, it is more direct contact,
between you and the design process and the outcome. You might say
architecture is a confrontational process. You can have the most amazing
idea, but in the end you need to interface successfully with a client,
with a planning approval office, with engineers, with a contractor, a
subcontractor, there are quite a few restraints. And it’s becoming more
and more complex to actually complete a building. When it comes to
product design, I found there’s more free expression because it is just
you, the producer and the technology. And the responsibility is
interestingly different in this way. You only design one building but a
product, you produce hundreds, thousands.

Another aspect is scale. I find it inspirational to work for
example on the 10,000 square meter museum and then shift to the
wristwatch for Alessi. It’s such an amazing change of scale you can
actually feel the brain working harder. Like a camera lens, whirring
from wide-angle to macro.

[DA] Is this watch the smallest product you designed to date?
[AM] Yes. And things get pretty small when you design a watch. Designing the hands is pretty amazing.

[DA] I was taught to explore both the smallest and largest
applications of a design first. For a logo start with the business card.
Then throw the logo on an airplane or truck. It gets even smaller today
with app icons on smartphones. It’s a small world.
[AM] I recently met a friend of mine who is a graphic designer
is designing a font for the Internet and he showed me how he is cutting
into the letters so the corners are sharp given the small size of the
font. I didn’t realize that kind of detail was necessary. It’s rather
beautiful. It is possibly the smallest thing you can design.

[DA] This is your first watch. I know a little bit about how Alessi selects their designers. How did you even get asked?
[AM] (Chuckle) Then you know the designer selections go through
Alberto Alessi, that is his role within the company. And considering the
roster of designers selected it is quite a privilege to be asked. When I
go there to present something his desk is a bit unsettling at first
because there are so many amazing objects, sketches, magazines,
everywhere, not a lot of space to lay down a drawing. Because of this,
when I go there I present possibly 8 to 10 ideas on A4 sized paper so at
least I know it’s going to fit on the table. The last time I came in I
brought a watch idea, though they didn’t ask for one, and I dropped it
on the desk. And he grabbed it immediately and said this was quite
interesting and let’s take this idea forward.

This moving forward is done in different stages. There’s an
analysis to gauge product interest. From there you go into a
physical-study phase. It’s a long process.

[DA] The styling on your watch mirrors a style seen in your
architecture. There is a flowing, wave-like visual on the skin of the
structure.
[AM] The scale of the object or structure may dictate
characteristics. The concept exploration would always include my
passions. There is also a technology language being spoken. I have been
intrigued the last few years with the ribbing you find in nature. It’s
not only beautiful but there are structural properties of ribbing such
as strength and rigidity without the volume and weight. In architecture
in would mean less material needed for support which could lessen the
financial burden. And visually there is both a feeling of fluidity and
weightlessness.

A watch does not demand structural strength like a building and
the use of ribbing here does communicate a variety of possibilities. For
example, if you suggest muscle fiber the ribbing transcends to fibers.
So structurally the ribbing has no specific function but I discovered
how the watch and the hand and wrist can communicate harmony through a
muscular anatomy. I studied numerous anatomy drawings to reach these
conclusions. It was an amazing discovery. The watch now feels to me like
it has grown around your wrist. It’s become very life-like and
comfortable. That’s why I call it the Grow Watch.

[DA] What is the watch skin material? And did you specify the material?
[AM] It’s polyurethane, a very versatile and resistant material.
It was specified together with Seiko Japan who is the business partner
with Alessi for this watch. Seiko was very happy with this choice of
material as they have the engineering and manufacturing experience.
Seiko was extremely open to explore new languages and solutions. Like
the integration of the glass and the case which they had not done
before. The solution was to respect the grow concept where the grooves
found in the wristband and shell grew into grooves found in the glass.
We were all surprised how readable the watch is considering the grooves
on the glass. One of those delightful moments, you know.

[DA] Is your vision that this is more of a dress watch than an
everyday watch or a specialty watch like a sports watch as it looks like
it can take moisture.
[AM] That’s really difficult for me to say. I will say I like to
run, usually three times a week, and I’ve never used a runner’s watch.
If something works then it will work under almost any conditions,
keeping its visual “Raison d’être” dignified. And yes, it’s waterproof.

[DA] Are your solutions green, i.e., a low carbon footprint?
[AM] I try as best as I can. You know, many years ago green was
still perceived as a sign of being contemporary. But today it is just
mandatory. Even from the production side. The people I collaborate with,
like Alessi, you’re already engaged in discussions concerning what’s
renewable, what’s recyclable or even repairable. Another point of view
is whether a design is useful and needed. If you’re creating something
new and useful and not repeating what already exists, that can be
considered even more environment friendly. Today’s the challenge is to
define and create new typologies, that did not exist yesterday, and that
is far more challenging than designing a new sofa.

[DA] Is this a man’s or women’s watch?
[AM] It has to be both. How horrible if it is only a man’s
watch… It is good to blur some boundaries. Now this watch is quite
over-sized but as you can see here, it looks good (we are in a crowded
showroom and we have at our disposal several women’s wrists) on the thin
wrist of a woman and for a woman the watch also becomes a bangle.

[DA] Other than scale were there any other challenges creating the watch?
[AM] Every time you design something you are inevitably
communicating a message. And the message is better to be relevant,
meaningful. The message should reflect contemporary values. And this is
not easy at all. Alongside this challenge we are working in an
over-saturated design environment. How to say something intelligent when
building another chair or lamp? This to me is the challenge I face,
every single day.

[DA] What’s next?
[AM] With regards to Alessi, this is my third project with them
in two years and I feel we are now establishing a strong relationship. I
am completing some new projects, where I am trying to re-define new
typologies, so I guess I will fly soon to Crusinallo and pitch some of
these new ideas to Alberto and his team.